Insufficient rakes delay monorail operation

The rakes require many parts like tyres, motors, handles, seats and air-conditioning systems among others. Other parts such as on-board communication and feeds from train to operation control centre (OCC) are also needed but not on an immediate basis.

“While we have sufficient staff to operate the corridor, we need to get some parts and rakes before we resume services. We need to have three more rakes for smooth operations. The contractors will procure the parts and we will pay the vendors directly,” said Sanjay Khandare, Additional Metropolitan Commissioner of MMRDA.

“The procurement process has begun and we should have these three rakes ready within a month. We will then submit an action taken report on the CRS recommendations to the government and get its approval to resume services,” said Khandare.
Sources said there is no provision in the contract to pay the vendors directly. “The contract does not allow direct payment to vendors. But they are not in a financial condition to buy the rakes and MMRDA does not trust them any more to give them advance payment,” said a senior official.

The MMRDA and L&T Infrastructure-Scomi Engineering (LTSE) consortium have reached a consensus that the vendors will be paid directly unlike the previous model where LTSE would make the payments and the bills would be reimbursed by MMRDA.

While it is expected that the 10 trains will be made functional by year end, additional five trains are not expected to be delivered anytime soon. “They are unlikely to be delivered for at least three to four years,” said the official. With seven rakes, the corridor is expected to witness trains plying with a 20-minute gap.

An email sent to Scomi Engineering received no response. Along with the Phase II (Wadala to Jacob Circle), the MMRDA will also resume Phase I (Chembur to Wadala) services after it was stopped in November last year, following a fire gutting two coaches at Mysore Colony station.